


Past, Present & Future

by Mochi-girl (Sushi)



Category: Beauty and the Beast (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-22 15:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/611113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sushi/pseuds/Mochi-girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When two are meant to be, or are they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Past is Present

Even at midnight the traffic still inched it's way through the streets. Car horns blared, people bellowed and storefronts buzzed with electricity. He stepped out from the shadows and the glow from the street lamps illuminated his tarpaper and roof decking stepping stones. It felt exhilarating to jump from rooftop to rooftop and he welcomed the opportunity to unleash the strength that he normally kept pent up. For a few fleeting moments he felt free and the confines of the warehouse where he hid from the world were forgotten. He hurled himself toward the next building, landing on two feet and bent knees with a powerful thud.  


He stood and tossed back strands of hair that had fallen across his face and walked to the parapet where he made his way along its edge before kneeling down. Directly in front of him was the building across the street and he could clearly see the people behind the wall of glass. They were all impeccably dressed, with flutes of champagne in their hands and smiles on their faces. Even before he went into hiding these kinds of occasions made him uncomfortable, but now they seemed impossible.

There was only one reason to be there, her name was Catherine and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, but more than that, she made him feel like the man he used to be.

~o~

Catherine stole a moment to wander around the penthouse while Evan was busy chatting it up with Brooke, her father's fiancee.  
She knew she should be the one talking to her and chided herself for being so rude, but she couldn't separate herself from the loop of images that played over and over in her mind. It wasn't their age difference or the fact that this marriage would permanently erase her mother's memory from her father's life that made her take refuge alone by the window.

It was what no one wanted to talk about and everyone wanted to put behind them. Her mother's murder was a wound that had never healed and nine years later she still wanted answers. The night it happened, no one could corroborate her story and she was only left with uncertainty. Now, after years of skeptical and sideway glances, she finally knew she wasn't crazy. He had saved her when she was in the woods, and now once again in the subway tunnel. She didn't know why he was there, but knowing he existed somehow validated who she had become. He knew things and she wasn't about to let him get away without finding out what they were. Her world had been shaken and as the pieces fell into place, everything looked very different.

Catherine tried to be enthused about her father's engagement party but felt uncomfortable and out of place in her cocktail dress and heels. She didn't belong on Evan's arm tonight. They were co-workers who flirted, not friends with benefits. Although she enjoyed his company, his good looks and wit, whenever the opportunity to take it beyond friendly banter arose, she shut it down. She could only think about Vincent Keller and what had happened to him.  


Looking out into the lights that dotted the Manhattan skyline, a strange feeling came over her. Catherine told herself to stop. She was being ridiculous to think that someone was watching her. She sighed and walked back toward Evan and the people mingling at the party.

~o~

At twenty-five he was an emergency room resident at St Benjamin's Hospital in the Upper West Side. His life was on track with a promising future and he looked forward to becoming a good doctor. Then 9/11 happened, it devastated a country and crushed his heart and spirit when he lost both his brothers. He let his anger control him and acted impulsively when he enlisted in the army.

Once deployed to Afghanistan he was recruited to be part of a unique program. They told him it was his destiny to become a super soldier, a human weapon against enemy terrorists and a man who had the chance to avenge his brothers' deaths. They gave them injections, monitored their progress and conducted tests. As the soldiers progressed, they knew something was wrong. They felt it and witnessed it amongst themselves. When it became evident that altering their DNA had caused them all to become uncontrollable killers, one by one they were executed. It was only his wits, his resolve and the help of a lifelong friend that kept him alive.

Operation Murifield had erased all traces of their existence except in a set of covert files. Vincent Keller, doctor turned soldier had died a hero serving his country and had his name engraved on a memorial plaque. But on that same day, a man with a secret so horrible he was forced into hiding, was born. This was the man who ten years later walked the streets of Manhattan under the cover of darkness.

He kept his head down and his hood up. It protected him from the cold night air and from prying eyes. He had perfected the art of being dead and an expert on being invisible. That is, until fate bitch slapped him and redefined who he was. Instead of a human experiment that had gone awry and created a monster and killer, Vincent had come in from the cold and become Catherine's savior, and in turn, she gave him back his humanity, and became his.

~o~

He confided in her and she could only imagine the toll it took to be both dead and alive. A life of pain, fear and isolation. She sensed he was a good man whose life had been destroyed by the unthinkable and she felt an unyielding amount of compassion for him. She wasn't the only life he had saved, there were six others along with the murdered woman from her case. Catherine knew he wasn't a monster or a criminal, he was a victim.

Vincent couldn't let her believe she was to blame for her mother's murder, Murifield was the one responsible. He didn't know why, but they had been following her. This was the first new information she heard in nine years and she knew there was more to it than he was willing to say. She told herself this is why she had to see him, but in reality it was more then that. He was so beautiful, undeniably masculine without a hint of machismo and had a vulnerability that she found endearing. It was the way he looked at her, she saw kindness, remorse and the longing to be accepted in his eyes.

~o~

Like Murifield, he had been following Vanessa Chandler and the night she had been gunned down in cold blood, he knew it was only a matter of time before her daughter became a target. He believed that saving Catherine had been pre-determined in his life. Since that first night he had rescued her, he watched over her. He followed her through graduate school and the police academy and was duly impressed when she was quickly promoted to detective. Vincent knew where she lived, where she worked and the company she kept. Keeping tabs on Catherine Chandler had become a salve for his soul. At times he felt like a stalker but he always kept his distance and he never interfered with her life, until now.

When his fingerprints were found at a crime scene she was working, it consumed him with worry and regret. He knew he had opened a Pandora's Box when she and her partner showed up at the warehouse and questioned J.T.

Murifield must not know he was alive. If they did, he had to make sure J.T. wasn't caught in crosshairs meant for him. Now there was Catherine to care about and he would never let anyone hurt her and he could never walk away.

* * * *

The Crime

"Cat? Have you even heard a word I've said?" Tess narrowed her eyes and waited for the startled look on her partner's face to pass.

"Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about this case." She said apologetically. She wasn't ready to admit how distracted she had become.

Tess shrugged. "Just keep your eye on the road." She knew her partner was in another hemisphere, it had happened more than once in the last few weeks. She could only hope it had to do with a man.

The two detectives were on their way to a crime scene. Catherine drove while Tess read through the notes from the responding officer.

"Stephanie Lee, Asian female, early twenties, found unconscious in the alley behind the Kiss and Fly in the Meat Packing district. Blunt force trauma to the head. She was beat up pretty bad and by the way her clothing was torn, there's evidence of an attempted sexual assault."

She looked up and at her partner. "You know this club has a thirty five dollar cover and twenty dollar well drinks? It caters to Europeans and Middle Easterners with money." Tess commented before going back to her notes.

"The dishwasher called it in just after midnight, he said someone was pounding on the back door. He told the responding officer he witnessed a man running away who sprinted out of sight in what seemed like a second."

The information made Catherine's heart skip a beat. "That's weird, it doesn't make sense. How many perps do you know decide to stop in mid-attack and alert someone for help?"

Tess nodded as they pulled up to the curb. "Let's face it, if it made sense, she'd probably be dead. I'll take weird."

The neighborhood had gone upscale in the last ten years and was filled with restaurants, boutiques and high-end nightclubs. The Kiss and Fly was a cocktail lounge and dance club. At night it was an expensive and hip place to be seen. In the daytime, it was just this side of gaudy and looked cold and uninviting.

"I guess mood lighting is for real." Catherine said under her breath when they walked in. Tess stifled a smirk.

A door next to the bar opened and a well-dressed woman in her fifties emerged. She was immaculately coiffed and wore a black sheath dress. She held an air of sophistication, and looked at the two women suspiciously. "Can I help you? I'm the owner." She asked with a slight accent.

"NYPD" Tess said in a commanding tone and held up her shield. "This is Detective Chandler, I'm Vargas, we're here investigating the assault and attempted rape of Stephanie Lee. And you are?"

A troubled look crossed the woman's face. "Simone James. You don't think it was one of our customers? Our clientele is comprised of foreign nationals, they're legitimate business people." She appeared nervous and avoided eye contact.

They both sensed the woman was hiding something. "We're not here to accuse anyone of the assault, but it did happen right outside your club. May we take a look around?" Catherine asked politely.

"The police were already here and looked in every corner and under every chair. What do you expect to find?" Her demeanor became defensive and icy.

Tess gave her partner a knowing look. "It's part of our job. We'll be out of your hair before you know it."

The club owner shrugged. "I have nothing to hide." She stood aside and gestured for them to come further into the building.

Tess looked toward the ceiling above the bar and zeroed in on a surveillance camera "May I look at your security footage."

The bar owner looked at her haughtily, but nodded her head and led Tess toward the door she had come out of.

Catherine walked toward the kitchen. "I'm going to check out the back entry." She said over her shoulder before disappearing behind a set of swinging double doors.

The kitchen was neat and well scrubbed and she paced around the perimeter looking for anything unusual, but nothing caught her eye. The back door was closed and locked with a deadbolt.

She took another sweep of the room before stepping outside into the alley. She looked toward the street, first east than west looking for any clue, any idea on what may have happened.

"Is she okay?" Vincent stepped out from behind a dumpster. "She had a head injury, her pupils were dilated and her breathing was shallow."

Catherine took a breath. Having him appear out of nowhere was still disconcerting. "She's been put into a medically induced coma. We hope to be able to interview her in a few days." She couldn't take her eyes off of him and he stared back at her.

He nodded. "They do that to relieve intracranial pressure." Vincent muttered and gave her troubled look. "I let him get away."

"What do you mean, you let him get away?" Catherine asked.

Vincent looked at her intensely. "I was concerned with the girl. I could have gone after him, but I thought about how you'd feel if I killed... if I hurt him."

She looked relieved. "What happened here? Did you find anything or see anything that could help us?" Catherine asked.

"I was down the block, but I heard her crying, she was begging him not to hurt her. When he spoke, I think it was Greek, I heard him saying things to her, I recognize some of the phrases from when I was in the army. He saw me coming towards them and took off."

Catherine furrowed her brow ever so slightly. "Thank you, that helps. You did the right thing, helping her instead of hurting him. Catching the perp is my job."

Just then, Catherine heard Tess call out. She looked at Vincent and said in a hushed tone, "You better go." She turned to the open door behind her and yelled. "I'm out here." When she turned back, he was already gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The Problem Revisited

J.T. Forbes taught Bio-Chemistry at Hunter College. He was known for being quirky, sarcastic and generally a smart-ass, but he was also brilliant and loved Vincent like a brother. The last ten years had become a quest of survival for the two men. They trusted no one but each other and J.T. was the voice in Vincent's head that kept him sane. Except lately he felt like he was having a conversation with a two year old from Pakistan.

"Vinnccent!?" He shouted.

"What?" He came out from behind a metal set of shelves with pair of pliers in his hand.

J.T. dropped his messenger bag on the table, shoved his hands into his pockets and began pacing around anxiously. "Remember that faculty retreat I told you about? They moved the date up. I gotta go, if I don't, I might as well kiss my tenure away."

Vincent looked non-plussed. "So go already, if you're worried about me, don't."

His roommate huffed and pushed his glasses up his face. "I have always trusted your judgment, however recently it's like your on crack, and Detective Catherine Chandler, aka Cat has become your drug of choice." The sarcasm returned to his voice. "Of course I'm worried about you!"

"I know what you're thinking, but she will be careful." Vincent watched J.T. wind himself up.

The incredulous expression he had perfected in the last week, reappeared. "Careful? Like in the tenth grade when we got busted for hacking the school's server? That didn't end well, and you know what, this is not going to end well either. Instead of Juvie Court, we end up dead." He gave him a serious look. "I get it. I may be socially awkward, but I have a pulse. Listen to me, you're the one who has to be careful. I know you care about her, and if that clouds your judgment, you're both screwed."

He knew what he said was true. He knew he was putting all of them in danger. "I don't want anything to happen to me, to her or you. I will be careful."

"Look man, I want to believe you, I do believe you, but that's not gonna stop Murifield." Remember that."

"I will." Vincent assured him. "I feel like I have a lot more to lose these days." He wandered back behind the shelves and left J.T. to brood about being J.T.

~o~

"I swear, even from the security video you could smell the cologne the men and women were wearing. Lots of bling too. I spotted the victim, but I didn't see anything that could lead us to the perp. The film doesn't show her interacting, arguing or leaving with anyone." Tess said tapping her pencil on her desk. The two detectives had returned to their precinct and were going over the case with Joe, their Precinct Captain.

Joe squinted at the case board and barked. "This isn't rocket science, you go back to the club and find out what happened." He turned away and went over to harass another set of detectives.

Tess leaned on her partner's desk. "You did however get a rise out of the club owner when you asked her if she had any customers who spoke Greek. Where did that come from?" She was genuinely curious and perplexed by the line of questioning.

"It was just a hunch. Wealthy foreign clients who like to hang out in glitzy nightclubs and spend money indiscriminately? I could have easily said French or Italian." Catherine answered in a confident manner.

"Or British." Evan added. The Medical Examiner walked in with a file in his hand.

"You know this place?" Tess gave him a surprised look.

Evan gave both detectives a sly look. "I've been there a time or two. You're right about the money, I felt like a mere pauper buying drinks that equal a weeks salary." He said cheekily. He took pleasure in teasing these detectives, especially Cat.

"My gut tells me whoever did this is a misogynist, someone with little or no impulse control and has never been held accountable for their actions," mused Catherine.

"Plus he has a little dick." Tess added and Catherine stifled a laugh at the comment.

Evan tried to look offended, but failed. He gave them both a sunny smile followed by an introspective look. "That is a broad assumption, much like trying to pin down what you Americans call a gold digger. I would agree that any male who beats up on a woman has control issues, and men from certain parts of the world have a history of treating women like chattel, but don't you need some kind of evidence to back up your theories?"  
Catherine's phone rang and she picked it up.

"What? You mean we can't stereotype and make it up as we go along?" Tess added in a droll manner.

Catherine set her phone down. "That was the hospital, Stephanie Lee died an hour ago. Our assault investigation is now a homicide."

~o~

She parked well out of the way and out of sight but he knew she was there the moment he heard the gravel under her feet crunch.

Catherine walked toward the warehouse, constantly looking around making sure that no one was following her. She quietly let herself in and slowly entered the space Vincent shared with J.T.

"I won't even try to understand why you're here." J.T. gave her a hostile look, but let her in.

"J.T.'s just leaving to go on a trip." Vincent said in the quiet raspy voice that made Catherine twitch.

"Don't get any ideas. It's a faculty retreat, I'm not running away." He looked at the two of them. As much as he hated the idea of of Vincent going out into the real world, there was a part of him that knew his lifelong friend deserved better. And he knew, it was too late to stop either of them.

"In case you need it, my baseball bat is next to the fridge, which is next to the nuclear trigger that's needed to keep you apart." J.T. showed his disapproval of the situation by purposely bringing up the elephant in the room.

Vincent looked uncomfortable. "Would you just leave. I told you, I will be careful."

"I should be back in four days. Just try and lay low while I'm gone." He left the warehouse with his briefcase and backpack, dragging his attitude behind him.

Catherine smiled. "I think he likes me."

Vincent smiled back. "Everything I know I learned from him." She was charmed by the light hearted remark.

They stared at each other, wondering if what they thought the other was thinking, was true. Vincent broke the eye contact first and his expression turned to concern. "What's wrong? Why are you here?"

"Our victim, Stephanie Lee died this afternoon." She said solemnly.

He looked devastated. "I hoped she would make it." He gave Catherine a dark look. "I should have gone after that son of a bitch that did this to her."

"Hey, I didn't come here to upset you. I'm really glad you chose to help Stephanie. She deserved that more than having you go after her attacker. I came here to find out if there's anything else you can tell me that might help us find her killer. Can you describe him, do you remember what he was wearing or where he went when he ran away?"

He closed his eyes, lost in thought. "He was about six feet, medium build. He had on a brown suit. I caught a glimpse of a car that pulled away, it was a black town car." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Sorry, it's not more."

Catherine looked at him reassuringly. "No, we know more than we did before. You've been a big help." It was her turn to look at him with concern. "Are you going to be okay? You know, with J.T. gone?"

Vincent smirked. "I'll manage." He crossed his arms across his chest and Catherine mentally noted the size of his biceps. "If you want, you could come by later." He said awkwardly.

Catherine's face lit up. "I'd love to!" She said with a little too much enthusiasm and blushed with embarrassment. "I mean, we could talk about the case. I have to get back to the precinct and I want to go by the club and take a look at the security video and talk to the owner. It might be late, if that's okay?"

Vincent uncrossed his arms and involuntarily flexed his biceps. "Yeah, that would be okay, that would be great."

* * * *

Returning to the Scene

Tess took a mouthful of chow mein right out of the take out carton with her chopsticks. "How'd you get a description?" She mumbled while chewing and swallowing.

"I stopped back in the neighborhood and talked to a guy at the bodega across the street." She lied. "He said he was hosing down the sidewalk when he saw a man in a brown suit run over to a black town car and get in."

Tess looked impressed if not convinced. She broke a fortune cookie open and shrugged at the little slip of paper, before tossing it away. "I'll check with car services in the area, see if any of them have a record of picking up someone with that description."

"I'd like to go back to the club and look at that security video again. I still have some questions for Simone James. You want to join me? I don't want to look to conspicuous, so I thought I'd go home and change into a dress."

Her partner sighed. The only appropriate dress she had was at the cleaners. "All right, but no comments if I look like my mother picked out my outfit, because she did.

"I promise to be kind." Catherine chuckled. She holstered her weapon, picked up her jacket and left the office.

Getting dressed up to go to the club wasn't really necessary, but when she was through, she would go straight to the warehouse to see Vincent. She liked the idea that he might like to see her in a dress, but she told herself she was dressing for the case not for him.

~o~

It was early by clubbing standards and the Kiss and Fly was practically deserted when Catherine and Tess walked in. They headed straight to the bar and each ordered a vodka and soda that they wouldn't finish.

"That's not so bad, you look very nice." Catherine commented on Tess's Navy Blue dress. It had a round neckline and was dotted with sequins. Over it she wore a matching jacket. A thick coat of lipstick and a pair of dangly hoop earrings completed her ensemble.

Tess rolled her eyes. "Mama-cita thinks I quit aging at eighteen and should dress like I'm fifty. She means well, but if you can't find me it's because I've disappeared into the woodwork."

Catherine chuckled. "We're working, remember that." She herself was wearing a maroon colored dress and with a black coat. A single diamond on a gold chain hung around her neck. Neither would attract much attention for what they wore, but both detectives looked stunning in their simplicity and still managed to keep their weapons well hidden.

Simone James walked out of the office and looked surprised at seeing them. "You're too early to meet any eligible men, why don't you come back in three or four hours." She said sarcastically.

"We were hoping we could take a look at your security tape again." Tess asked politely.

"Whatever for?" The Club owner asked.

"Ms. James, you may have heard this assault investigation has become a homicide. Stephanie Lee died this morning." Catherine watched the color drain from the woman's face.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said with a slight quaver to her voice. "I hope you find whoever did this. If our clientele finds out, it will be bad for business. I have some things to attend to. Let me or my bartender know when you're done." She abruptly turned and walked away.

The two detectives looked at each other. "Nice lady. A woman dies on her doorstep and she's worried about what her customers think?" Tess looked disgusted.

"She is definitely hiding something, did you see how she reacted when I mentioned the victim had died." Catherine commented. "I'm going to talk to her, see if I can find out where she's going. You mind checking the video again?"

"Yeah sure, I don't really want to be seen in mom's dress anyway. I'll catch up with you." Tess entered the office and watched the video, fast forwarding through it until she spotted a man in a brown pinstripe suit. She wrote the time stamp down on a slip of paper and went to find Catherine.

She scanned the room for her partner but didn't see her. A few more men and women had shown up, but there was plenty of empty space that needed to be filled with people. She looked at the bartender. "Excuse me, do you know where my friend went?"

The bartender nodded toward the front door and Tess murmured a thank you.

She stood outside on the sidewalk and pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Catherine's cell, but it went directly to voicemail. Tess' intuition told her something was wrong, but the cop in her told her not to panic. She walked to where their car was parked and found it was gone. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself. Something caught her eye and she went numb. It was Catherine's diamond necklace, the chain was broken and it was laying next to the curb.


	3. Chapter 3

Saving Each Other

Vincent realized he had two, maybe three more hours before Catherine would arrive. There was little for him to do but wait, and waiting made him anxious. So he did what he had been doing for a very long time. He grabbed his jacket and left the warehouse. She said she was going back to the club and he found himself walking to the Subway entrance to catch a train. He would follow her, but he tried not to over think why.

Once off of the train, he kept to the shadows and took the same route as the night he had found Stephanie Lee. When he was a block away, he saw Uniformed Policemen every where and he stopped and hid in a doorway and concentrated on what they were saying.

"Seen or heard anything?" The Cop asked.

"Nah, I just came on shift." Another Cop answered. "Heard the BOLO, who is it?"

"It's that pretty little Detective from Mid-Town North. You know, Chandler. Her partner, the tall girl, Vargas, she called it in. We're looking for her black four door Sedan, standard issue. They've both gone missing."

Missing? Vincent quickly walked to the corner and pressed himself against the building.

"It must be serious 'cause her Lieutenant, you know him, Joe Bishop, he's down here looking for her and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Whoever did this will be sorry, no one grabs a Detective off of the street and gets away with it."

"Christ... I hope you're right, I hope they find her."

Vincent clenched his fists and fought to keep himself calm, he could feel his adrenaline spike and he was just a notch away from turning into the thing he dreaded most.

~o~

Tess was visibly shaken, her partner had vanished, and as the minutes ticked by, she felt like jumping out of her skin. Joe Bishop had arrived on the scene along with a dozen Uniforms, they fanned out in the area and were going door to door looking for anything that might give them leads.

Joe saw the despondent look on Tess' face. "This isn't your fault. Remember, you're a Detective with the eighteenth. We do our police work, we'll find her." Joe wished he could offer her more than words. As Precinct Lieutenant, he knew all too well what self incrimination felt like, he lived with it everyday.  
"Someone had to have seen what happened. This is 'effing New York City, people and cars everywhere." She muttered.

"I've seen Cat fight off a man twice her size and weight. She didn't see it coming. She wouldn't willingly go and not check in." They all knew time was running out and the longer she was missing, the chances of finding her alive decreased by the hour.

~o~

She woke up and groggily looked around at her surroundings. She was in an empty room, a loft or apartment. Her head was pounding, her wrists were tied with rope to a window grate above her head and her arms ached from supporting her weight. Her head started to clear and her eyes began to focus and she cursed at herself as she remembered what happened.

She saw Simone, texting on her phone and she followed her outside to the alley behind the club. A man was waiting for her and they began arguing. Catherine with her hand on her weapon called out to them and identified herself. She questioned them and found out his name was Tito, and he was her son. The more she pressed him for information, the angrier he became. He threatened her and then lunged at her. She raised her weapon in self defense, but out of no where, an electrical current from a stun gun zapped the back of her neck. Catherine remembered feeling paralyzed and her body going into spasms. Then she blacked out.

It was Simone who got her in the alley and now it was Tito who had her in the loft.

She pulled at her restraints but they didn't budge.

"You're awake." He spoke with the same accent as his mother, and looked at her with cruel eyes. "I se o morfi" he said, pronouncing each syllable clearly.

"I'm an officer of the law, my entire precinct is looking for me! You won't get away with this." Catherine spat the words out.

"Get away with what?" He took his finger and traced it from her jawline, down the curve of her throat and toward her breasts.

Catherine kicked out at him but he moved just in time and chuckled at her.

Her fear was real, but so was her anger and it consumed her. "I'm not afraid of you! You're a coward who beats up women. You're not a..."

"Skase!" He slapped her so hard, her head whipped to one side and she fought not to pass out. "You bitches flaunt yourselves at me and then accuse me of being an animal. You're all the same... just like Simone, she's the biggest bitch of all!" He screeched at her and backhanded her hard enough it smashed her head against the window grate. Tito slid his jacket off and threw it aside.

~o~

Lieutenant Bishop and Detective Vargas were in no mood for evasive and vague information. They had walked into the Kiss and Fly and were determined to find Simone James and take her in for questioning. The crowd at the club was starting to pick up and the noise level had increased.

Tess made eye contact with the bartender and he dropped the glass in his hand and turned, but before he could go anywhere, Tess blocked his way. "Remember me? I'm Detective Vargas... we need to speak to Simone James... NOW."

Behind the bar, the servers looked startled and they backed away. "She's not here and I don't know when she's coming back."

Joe stepped up and grabbed the bartender by the collar. "Where's someplace nice and quiet where we can talk? His eyes were filled with fire and there was no mistaking he was the bad cop for real.

"Over there." Tess gestured to the office and the three of them went in. Joe forced him down into a chair.

"One of my Detective's was last seen here in this club. She has been missing for almost two hours and you don't know anything? I should lock your sorry ass up." He seethed with anger.

"I told you, Simone left and I don't know when she's coming back. I can give you the address where she stays, but that's all I know." He whined.

Tess could barely look at him. "Tell me what it is..." She jotted the address in her notebook and got down into his face. "If anything happens to my partner, I'm pinning this is on you and I'll take great joy in making your life a living hell."

Joe grabbed him by the collar. "Last chance, you want to tell me what you know, or should I beat it out of you?" He shook him with enough force that he choked up.

"I want a lawyer. If you do anything to me, I'll sue!" He threatened weakly.

Joe threw him down and looked at Tess, frustration written all over his face. He was walking a very thin line and they all knew it. He took Tess by the arm and lead her out of the office. "We go here and see what we find. If there's nothing, I'm coming back and shutting this place down."

They stormed out of the club and were completely oblivious to Vincent, who was standing just inside the kitchen doors. He had entered through the back entrance, past the dishwasher and cook, who cowered in the corner when they saw him. Going into a club, a public venue like this was dangerous for him, but he was as desperate for information as Tess and Joe were. Even with all the noise, and through a closed door he heard every word they said.

The bartender had been left in the office and Vincent was going in to confront him, but before he had the chance, he heard him talking on the phone. "The cops were just here and they threatened me... No! I am not going down for this and I'm not going to stick around to find out... Tito is a psycho... Simone knows it... I know!" He slammed down his phone on the desk and buried his face in his hands. When he looked up, he saw Vincent standing in front of him and his eyes were the color of amber.

~o~

"If you let me go, maybe they won't kill you." Catherine was dazed from being beaten, but refused to give in or give up.

He laughed in her face. "Kálese tin astynomía! I'm so afraid." He mocked her.

He rolled his shoulders like a boxer waiting for the bell to sound and made a fist with his right hand and smashed it against his left. But, before Tito could strike her, the door to the loft crashed down and a gigantic figure broke through.

With a large feral hand, the beast clamped down on his wrist and pulled him back. The action stunned the man, and as his arm was twisted, he howled in pain. When Tito opened his eyes, he could barely believe what he saw and it filled him with terror. The beast towered over him, his eyes were like the devil himself, his face was grotesque like a gargoyle that had been chiseled in stone and when he opened his mouth, he let out a deep guttural growl and bared his pointed teeth.

Anger coursed through his veins and he picked up the kidnapper and threw him against the wall on the opposite side of the room where he landed in a heap. The beast was wild, out of control and ready to break every bone in his body.

"Vincent! NO! Don't do it!" Catherine cried out. "Stop! STOP!"

He froze when he heard her voice. He hesitated for a moment before he leaped across the room landing with such force the floor boards shook.

"It's me Vincent, it's Catherine. You don't have to do this!... LISTEN to me!" She was racked with fear, not for herself or for Tito, but for Vincent.  
He hovered over Tito, his body trembled, and he heaved great breaths of air.

"I'm okay... stop... I need you to stop..." She pleaded with him.

He looked over his right shoulder at her, and saw the distress in her eyes. His body shook and he buckled over and two seconds later, he raised himself up and the beast was gone.

Tito tried to push himself up and Vincent bent down, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and struck him across the side of his face, knocking him out cold.

"Vincent?" Catherine whispered.

He went to her. "Catherine..." his voice was deep and raspy. His hand shook when he pulled out his pocket knife and cut through the rope that bound her. He caught his breath when he saw the angry red welts on her wrists and the the bruises on her face and his eyes turned amber.

"I'm all right." She whispered to him. "You saved me... you saved me again." Large tears spilled from her eyes and she reached out and caressed his face with both hands.

Vincent was overcome with emotion and gathered her up in his arms. She was his life line, she made life worth living and he knew he loved her unconditionally. "He hurt you, I should have come sooner."

They clung to each other and a myriad of feelings washed over them. She felt his warmth seep into her body and for the first time in a very long time she felt safe, protected and loved.

"You have to leave." She whispered. She placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. "You have to leave."

"No..." The look in his eyes melted her heart.

"You have to. Call it in, tell them you heard a disturbance and you heard fighting and screaming." She gulped some air. "I'll be okay and I promise I'll come to you later."

The battle between his heart and mind continued. He knew she was right, but he couldn't bear to leave her. "Catherine, you're not okay and neither am I. I need you, you're the only one who can save me." He whispered.

"If you stay, they'll take you away or kill you. I'm afraid I'll never see you again. Please..." She begged. "You have to go."

He looked at her upturned face, his heart breaking apart in a million pieces and knew what she said was true. He leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss, she closed her eyes against her tears. When he let go of her she felt cold and bereft, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Too Good...

"Jeezuz Cat, I can't take you anywhere, I let you out of my sight for five minutes, and look what happens. Not only was I frantically searching for you, I had to do it wearing this lovely outfit. It's been a brutal night. Next time we stick together." Tess admonished her with a grin on her face.

Joe parked his hands on his hips and gave the two detectives a disapproving look. "Chandler, Vargas, there better not be a next time if you know what's good for you. This isn't over, we all have a turn with Internal Affairs. I know you're both good cops, you prove it everyday, but there are questions and you..." he nodded at Cat "need to answer them. Get some rest, Detectives, you both look like you could use it."

"Yes, Boss." They said in unison. Tess mustered up a humble expression and Cat looked contrite.

"And, one more thing, good job on solving Stephanie Lee's murder." He gave up a half-smile before walking out.

Tess and Joe had gone to Simone's address and found Cat's car parked in an alley behind the building. Her coat and shoes were in the front seat, her badge and gun in the back. They entered the building, pounded on her door and when no one responded, Joe kicked it open. They found Simone in her bedroom with a half packed bag crying hysterically. She told them her biggest fear had materialized, her son had killed that girl and now he had taken a police detective, and she had helped him.

Joe laid it on the line, if Detective Chandler was hurt, they would pay for it and suffer the consequences. Her only hope of saving her son was for her to tell them where they were. Simone relented and told them where she had taken them, to an unfinished loft they bought as an investment.

They turned her over to the Uniforms who had arrived and while they raced toward the address, they called for back up and someone had called in a disturbance at that same address. They arrived to find Uniforms there, the kidnapper barely conscious and a battered detective attempting to answer questions. When the medical response team arrived, Joe insisted that Cat be taken to the hospital and that Tess was responsible for making sure she got there.

"How the hell did you do it?" Tess asked, knowing without a doubt that something else went down in that loft.

Catherine gave her a blank look. "They were arguing, when I confronted them, he got combative, I drew my weapon and she took me down with a stun gun. When I came to, I was at that loft, Tito threatened me and I played along. He cut me down and when the opportunity arose, I fought back, and won. " She looked tentative. "Adrenaline is a powerful thing."

So many lies. Knowing they deserved answers had become the burden. Maybe it was the beating she took or maybe it was the pain medicine, but at this very moment, she was only able to process one thing.

Evan walked into her hospital room with a look of concern and doubt on his face. "Glad to see you're doing okay." He gave her a peck on her cheek. "I talked to your father, and as you requested, he won't fly back to New York, but he would like you to call him. I understand they are keeping you overnight for observation and then being the lucky girl that you are, you get the rest of the week off." He gave them both a labored smile. "Tess, I need a moment, I need you to sign off on this report."

He walked her out of Catherine's room and before he could say a word, she answered his unasked question. "She said she was pumped up and kicked his ass because she knew she had to."

"Do you believe that?" Evan asked with uncertainty written all over his face.

Tess shrugged. "Maybe there's more to this story than she's willing to tell, but she's alive and we caught a murderer. So unless you want to open a can of worms, that's the story." She saw the doubt on his face.

"How do you explain the door? It was ripped from it's frame."

She shook her head. "I can't explain it. Listen, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."

Evan looked troubled. "I believe someone else already is."

~o~

Vincent had come down from the massive chaos in his head and suffered another sleepless night thinking about Catherine. He knew she would be all right, her injuries would heal and she would be back to being who she was, an NYPD Detective, but one with a very big secret. The conflict he felt was overwhelming. One minute he was on a high thinking about her and the possibilities that they could be together, and the next minute he felt dejected and lonely.

He thought he might lose his mind until he heard the familiar sound of gravel crunching under her feet.

Two days had passed since they saved each other in the loft and both had time to heal and think. They knew this was an impossible situation, one that would never work, but when she walked into the warehouse, impossible became an after thought.

"Catherine, are you really all right?" He felt timid and unsure about how she might feel, in the daylight, without danger hanging over them.

"I am." She answered. "You saved me again. You're like my own personal guardian angel." She took a step toward him and closed the space between them. Her hands reached up and gently cupped his face and she pulled him down into a kiss. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and she knew they would be together.

He wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss, and then kissed her again, holding her close. The next one was more urgent and the one after that was desperate. Vincent felt every inch of her inside of him. He could feel her heart beating, her breath escalating and her body responding. Catherine had never been held by a man so powerful, yet so gentle, someone so strong, yet vulnerable. She molded her body against his and her knees grew weak. He literally swept her off her feet and carried her up the cement steps, past the chain link door and to his bed.

They loved each other slowly and carefully as if the euphoria between them was fragile and would shatter. He undressed her, one piece of clothing at a time and each one revealed her to be more beautiful than he had imagined. He lifted her against him and she felt his hands splayed out against the bare skin on her back. Each deep breath she took was followed with a sigh of pleasure. Catherine pulled Vincent's shirt off and her fingers traced the muscles in his chest. When she pressed herself against him, skin against skin, she knew there would never be anyone better.

He was perfectly built, strong and hard, but ten years of hiding had left him feeling inexperienced and insecure. "Catherine, I want this to be perfect for you, but it's been a long time..."

She silenced him with a kiss that trailed down his neck to his collar bone and then back to his lips. "I'll show you," she whispered" and she would teach him everything she knew.

Catherine helped him remove the rest of his clothing and she pushed him down on the bed. She straddled his body and when they came together, it took their breath away. She slowly rocked back and forth and they found the perfect rhythm. Their pace quickened and as their bodies took over, sounds of pleasure filled the room. It was a relentless climb, up and up, until both of them reached that point where there was no where to go but to tumble into waves of pure sensation. They held on to each other and when the noise in their bodies began to subside, both of them felt complete.

~o~

Time stands still when we least expect it, and the afternoon turned to night and the lovers still slept soundly in each others arms. They had been exhausted before and now they were spent. Threats of partners calling or of room mates arriving seemed not to matter. What they had was honest and true and Vincent had never been happier.

When they awoke, she assured him with all of her being that this is what she wanted, and he reassured her the same. Catherine thought it impossible that they had anything left in them except for another nap, but Vincent proved her wrong. This time he showed her what he had learned.

Afterward they drank bottles of orange juice and ate potato chips in bed. They talked about their pasts and how these terrible things in their lives brought them together. Vincent told her he thought it was his destiny to watch over her, but now he realized it was Catherine who was sent to save him and love him.

They had to have a plan to keep each other safe but still allow them to be together. They needed to find out what Murifield was capable of what they were capable of doing to stop them. Something had changed in their lives and now both had the same goals and mission in mind. They were determined and convinced their love would conquer anything that would stand in their way. They would prevail.

...To Be True

Vincent had finally extracted himself from Catherine's arms to put on some clothes. He sat on the edge of the bed, and put his shoes on, but suddenly found it difficult to tie the laces. He put his head in his hands and the searing pain he had forgotten about, returned. His vision blurred, Catherine's voice was muffled and far away and he struggled to stay conscious. It was only moments, although it seemed much longer, before he looked up into Catherine's frightened face.

"What just happened? Are you okay?" She asked him, her happiness had turned to concern and she wrapped the sheet that had covered her, around her tightly.

Vincent gave her a weak smile. "I am fine. Sometimes I get these headaches, but they go away." He had forgotten what it was like and he felt cheated by what had just happened.

She wasn't convinced he was fine, she sensed that there was more going on. "How long has this been happening?"

He knew lying to her was pointless, but until now, he hadn't admitted to himself that something was wrong. "It's happened three times before. It never lasts for more than a few seconds." What he didn't tell her is that each episode was worse than the last.

"Vincent, I know you can't go to a doctor, but you looked like you were going to pass out." There's got to be something we can do." She went to him, and like a mother tending to a child, she touched his forehead.

The gesture was warm and caring and he reminded himself that everything was different.

His posture became rigid and his expression turned hard and Catherine saw the alarm in his eyes.

"Someone's coming." He went to the window and Catherine gathered up her clothing.

"What do you see? Who is it?" She had quickly dressed and took her gun from the table and released the safety.

"Catherine." He said calmly. "I want you to hide, get back behind those boxes. There's a group of them, it's got to be Murifield."

"What? No, I'm not going to. I'm not going to let them hurt you or take you away." She began to tremble.

Vincent crossed the room and gathered her into his arms. He stepped back and held her at arms length and looked her in the eye. "Don't let them find you, we are outnumbered. Tell J.T. what happened, you're the only two who know I'm real and that I was here." He kissed her "Catherine, I love you."

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she stepped over a box and behind a stack of crates. She crouched down and hid herself, and waited.

They heard the doors to the warehouse opening. They heard footsteps and the sound of furniture being pushed aside. Vincent could hear multiple hearts beating, the acrid smell of men and weapons and of Catherine whispering to herself, I love you.

The footsteps came closer and Vincent pressed himself against the wall. He wouldn't let them take him without a fight and he wouldn't let them harm Catherine.

~o~

A hundred feet from the warehouse, a black sedan was parked next to two panel vans. The drivers in all three vehicles resembled soldiers dressed in black fatigues. In the back seat of the sedan sat a woman, quite beautiful in an frightening way. Her eyes flashed with danger and she pouted with full sensuous lips. The man next to her seemed reserved, sophisticated and calm.

"Do you really think this will work?" He spoke with a trace of a Russian accent.

"If we succeed, just think of the incredible army we will create." She pushed her bangs out of her face, her red hair glimmered in the dark.

"To make this work, it has to be about being in control. Murifield failed miserably. I know you understand this." The man said, placing his hand on her thigh and squeezing it.

"Not now. I'm working." She smirked. The pop of a gun and then a spray of gunfire from an automatic weapon pierced the quiet. "We need to get closer to the building." She commanded. Her companion tapped on the privacy glass and pointed to the warehouse.

The panel vans followed the sedan and drove up to the fence that surrounded the warehouse. The drivers stepped out of their vehicles and opened the doors.

Inside of the vans were shackles, chains and hand cuffs.

A moment later, three large men dressed in para military fatigues came out, their weapons poised to cover the two other men who dragged Vincent from the building. It took a lot of effort, but they hoisted him into the van and restrained him. He had been shot with a tranquilizer and his world became gray and cloudy. He barely managed to lift his head and when he did, a sorrow so deep cut through his heart. He saw another soldier carrying out Catherine's limp body and deposit her in the back of the other van.


	5. Chapter 5

Your Worst Nightmare

J.T. knew something was wrong. There were grooves in the gravel from tires spinning and the fence had been left open. The blood rushed to his head when he found the warehouse door unlocked. He cautiously entered and saw the furniture had been pushed aside leaving a clear path to the door.

"Vincent?!" His voice was shaky and a feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. He walked up the cement stairs and saw the chain link door had been ripped off it's hinges. The area was in shambles, furniture had been overturned and items from the shelves were smashed to bits. He saw the bed was unmade, an empty bag of chips and juice containers had been knocked around, but when he saw Cat's coat and her police issue revolver laying on the floor, the hair on the back of his neck prickled and his heart hammered in his chest. What ever happened here, happened to Catherine Chandler as well.

He paced around the room and kicked at a chair that had been overturned. The idea of exposing what Murifield did to Vincent scared the hell out of him. They always said, if Vincent was taken, it would be up to J.T. to act, but what would the ramifications of that be? And, what about Cat? Taking this on by himself seemed crazy, so he made a spontaneous decision to call in reinforcements. He wasted no time going to a storage closet. Inside was a lab size refrigerator containing Vincent's blood and tissue samples and a flash drive with data that explained it all. He put the items in a small cooler, packed Cat's coat and gun in his backpack and left the warehouse without looking back.

~o~

The floor under his back was cold and hard and he felt disconnected from his body. His limbs felt clumsy and heavy and he realized he was in leg irons that were chained to the cuffs around his wrists. Vincent sat up and once the room stopped spinning, he started to remember. He thought of her first. Catherine. What happened to her, what happened to both of them?

His last clear memory was in the warehouse, men with weapons coming up the stairs, his adrenaline spiking and rage consuming him. From then on the pictures in his head were out of focus and disjointed. There were tranq darts... hands holding him down... a shot fired and a spray of bullets from an assault weapon followed it... voices with undecipherable words... and looking up and seeing Catherine being carried out and put in a van.

Catherine. What had he done? J.T. warned him over and over again, but he put his own self-centered feelings ahead of all their safety. Now, he had no idea where he was and what happened to her.

He struggled to make sense of what had happened. He didn't know Murifield to use soldiers with assault weapons. He knew them as men in street clothes with hand guns or doctors in white lab coats. The few times he dealt with them, there was always a disingenuous conversation, an explanation and a promise. No one tried to placate him or assure him this was for his own good. This was different.

The room he was in was much larger than a prison cell, it was sparse and contained a bed that was bolted to the floor and harsh flourescent lights recessed into the ceiling. With great effort he tried to stand and the room began to spin again. He sat down on the bed and waited for the vertigo to pass. He had been drugged and felt he was at best a prisoner or at worst, a lab rat. He was startled by the sound of a door opening.

"Hello Vincent, how are you feeling?" The woman with the red hair was paying him a visit. She spoke in a sing-songy voice and did her best to look friendly and approachable, though the four guards with assault weapons contradicted her.

"What have you done with Catherine?" He could think of little else since he had regained consciousness and their was a desperation in his voice.

"Detective Chandler is recovering from a rather nasty gun shot wound. We could have let her bleed to death, instead we saved her life. You both should be grateful."

"I want to see her. I'll do whatever you want, but I don't want any harm to come to her." He had been given a cocktail of various drugs and they kept him functional, but he had become a shell of the man he was before.

"Of course we'll let you see her and whether or not she is harmed depends on you. Please know how comfortable your stay with us depends on your level of cooperation."

Vincent looked at the woman and knew she was lying. No one cared if he was comfortable.

"Who are you?" He asked. "Where am I?"

"That is a need to know basis, and right now, you don't need to know." She walked out with her entourage of armed guards tagging behind her.

Catherine. He held on to her in his mind and heart.

~o~

Tess was writing up a report and doing her best to explain what had transpired in the last few days. It would never win a prize, but it was pretty damn intriguing, she had to admit.

"Detective Vargas? Do you remember me?" J.T. stood four feet from her desk and looked like he'd swallowed an onion.

It took her ten seconds to register who he was. The murder case where the victim had been poisoned by Nicotine. Fingerprints left on the murder victim led them to a dead doctor, who in turn led them to this guy, a former room mate. "Your name is Forbes?"

J.T. wondered if he was insane or doing the right thing. "Right. I had met you and Cat... Catherine Chandler at the warehouse. You were looking for information on Vincent Keller." He looked around at the people and activity in the room. "Is there someplace private we can talk? I would really like someone else to hear what I say, so I don't have to say it again. This has to do with Cat."

Tess sized him up, maybe he was a whacko, but he called Cat, by her nickname... twice. "Okay, let me see if I can find a room, and I'll see if my Boss is available.

She found Joe in his office, buried in a mountain of paperwork. "Joe, you got a minute?"

He looked almost relieved to have a reason to push the stack of requisitions away. "What is it?"

"I don't know, maybe nothing, but this guy from an old case says he has info on Cat."

Joe wasn't in the mood for games, he picked up his phone and called Cat's number, it went to voicemail. "When's the last time you heard from her?"

"Day before yesterday. I gave her a ride home and she said she was going to take it easy." That intuitive feeling that something was wrong came back.

"Send a couple of Uniforms to her apartment." Joe stood and pulled on his jacket. "This better be worth my time."

When Tess and Joe entered the interrogation room, they found J.T. pacing and when he saw them, he pressed himself against the wall. They told him to take a seat and scrutinized him like a bug in a jar.

Joe looked at him point blank. "You said you had information on Detective Chandler. She is a valued member of this precinct and if you're using her name to screw around with us, I'll nail your hide against the wall. Do you understand?"

It was too late to flee and although he questioned his own sanity, he nodded his head. "Just hear me out, that's all I ask..." and he began to tell Vincent's story.

He told them that he had known him since they were kids and Vincent had always looked out for J.T. After High School, they both entered college and after graduation, Vincent entered medical school and J.T. went on to get his PhD in Bio-Chemistry. He told them about Vincent's two brothers perishing during 9/11 and how it affected him. He told them a program called Operation Murifield had altered Vincent's DNA, and turned him into something less than human J.T. was devastated when he heard the news that he had been killed in action, but when Vincent contacted him asking for help, he couldn't refuse. He explained the last ten years of hiding out, putting his life on hold and their quest to find a cure. And then Catherine Chandler surfaced and so did this side of Vincent that he never knew existed.

He saw the looks on their faces when he finished, they thought he was crazy. He had to legitimize what he was saying and that's when he asked them to bring the Medical Examiner in. J.T. gave Evan the samples from the lunch size cooler and told him they were evidence. They still had doubts, so he brought out Catherine's coat and gun to make them believe, but just like he suspected they arrested him on the spot and read him his rights.

They stepped out of the interrogation room and each looked to one another for answers.

"You believe this?" Joe asked. It read like a science fiction novel, but he had promised himself not to dismiss what J.T. had to say, especially if Cat was involved.

"Joe, the Uniforms talked to Cat's sister, she left yesterday afternoon and told her not to worry if she came back late." Tess wasn't sure what to believe, but added, "Cat would never leave her service weapon behind. Why would he be making this all up?"

"I agree." Evan looked worried. "I'd like to examine these samples, if he's telling the truth than they'll be a match to the ones I've been collecting from various crime scenes."

"I know Cat's been lying to me, not about the job or our case work, but she's hiding something in her personal life. She disappears for an hour here or there and almost everyday she has a phone call and leaves her desk or walks away."

As the conversation continued, Joe became more and more agitated. "Those bodies on the subway platform? He says they were from this place Murified. The CIA took them, they said it was a security matter." He shook his head. "We keep Forbes for twenty four hours, if what he's telling us is even half true, than he needs protection and Cat is in imminent danger. I have to take this to the next level, and we'll have to see where it stops. In the meantime, I want a BOLO put out on Cat and this not so dead guy, Vincent Keller."

~o~

"Detective Chandler, can you hear me?" Catherine turned her head away from the voice and coughed twice before opening her eyes. She blinked a few times against the light shining down on her. She lifted her head and looked about, she was in a windowless room, strapped to a hospital bed.

"Where am I?" She asked, her throat was dry and she coughed again. She saw two men in white lab coats standing over her.

"You're in recovery, you've just came out of surgery, we removed a bullet from your leg. You were very lucky it nicked your femoral artery. You could have bled to death."

Catherine processed the information for a moment. "Where's Vincent? What have you done with him?"

"Interesting that you should ask. For the moment, he's fine. We had to sedate him to keep him under control, but there won't be any permanent damage." One of the men said.

"I know you're from Murifield, you've kidnapped us." Catherine tried to raise her voice, but it came out like a squeak.

One man smirked at the other. "Murifield no longer exists, however we are continuing what they started. Vincent is key to our furthering the goals of this program. We hope you'll cooperate. He wouldn't want to see you suffer."

"Who are you?" Catherine whispered.

"Well let's see." One of the men said. "I guess you could say we're your worst nightmare."


	6. Chapter 6

Stranger than Fiction

"I thought I was doing the right thing, not getting into her business, waiting for her to come to me." Tess looked as despondent as she felt.

"None of us knew what she had gotten herself into." Evan squeezed Tess' hand. "She would have known we would disapprove."

Joe shook his head. "None of us are responsible for this. She lied to us." He was angry.

Joe Bishop was used to dealing with murderers, thieves, hot-heads, white collar criminals, men and women who had a history of always making the wrong choice, bad ass gang thugs and the criminally insane. He was also used to working with the best police force in the country. What he loathed, but accepted was the bureaucracy that went along with it. It was part of the job, clearly an aspect of public service that was to be expected and endured as long as it fell within the boundaries of the greater good. Cat's disappearance pushed those boundaries and was a very dark shade of gray. When the New York City Police Commissioner and the Mayor demanded his presence, he knew the story that J.T. Forbes told had merit. That was unsettling, what they said to him was even worse.

Catherine Chandler and Vincent Keller's disappearance was no longer a criminal matter. When he told Tess and Evan that he was taking this to the next level, he had no idea where it would end.

This case, committed in his back yard, his precinct violated by taking one of his Detective's, was no longer his. It would be handled by a Task Force comprised of select members of the CIA, NSA, DoD and Homeland Security. They would be supervised by a Committee of U.S. Senators, who in turn were reporting to the President of the United States. He was told human trials conducted by the U.S. government, under the direction of a third party, who was ultimately unable to control what it created, wasn't something the President wanted to read about in the New York Times.

Now he was commanded to bring in Cat's immediate family and anyone, they emphasized, anyone who had anything to do with this case. They would be questioned and briefed on the situation.

~o~

"Are we ready, to continue?" He asked.

"Yes, I believe we are." She crossed her arms and smiled at him with a glint in her eye, he thought she looked power hungry, a trait he admired in a woman.

They watched the monitor with interest as three guards brought Catherine to see Vincent. It had been two weeks since they were taken and this was the first time they would be together since their night at the warehouse.

"Vincent, thank God you're alive." Her voice cracked with emotion. "What have they done to you?" They found themselves clutching each other like their lives depended on it.

He loosened his grip on her and stared at her with glassy eyes. "They're keeping me drugged to control me. Otherwise, I am all... Catherine... " His low raspy voice was also filled with emotion and regret. "You're the reason that I've kept going, that I haven't given up."

She understood, she felt the same way. "We've been here for fifteen days, and I've thought about you the entire time." She laid her head on his shoulder.

"This isn't Murifield." He said.

"I know, one of their doctor's told me as much." She whispered back to him.

He tilted her face up and stared at her in that familiar way she coveted. "You were shot, they said they saved your life."

"I'm okay now. I'm better." She tried to force a smile, but tears sprang from her eyes. "My father, Heather and Tess, I wonder if they think I'm dead."

"J.T. would have come back to the warehouse and known something was wrong. He would have gone to someone, we had a plan to expose Murifield." Vincent said with a hint of encouragement.

Catherine began to tremble. "But, Murifield is gone. These people are much worse, I can feel the evil in them."

Vincent held her in his arms. "I am so sorry. You wouldn't be here if I had just left you alone." The lost look, she first saw in him when they met, was back.

"That's not true, I'm here because I wouldn't let you leave me alone." She looked up at him until he kissed her and Catherine responded. "Vincent, remember this. I love you."

Seeing him had given back her courage and determination. She was much stronger than she appeared. "We are not going to die here."

The door to his prison opened and the guards who brought her to Vincent, held him back as she was led away.

She smirked and turned the monitor off. "That's so endearing. There's nothing like love to keep one going."

He took her hand and kissed it. "Now what would you know about love?"

She looked amused. "I know it makes you weak and colors your judgment and never ends well but you already knew that. We've given them enough. We'll go ahead with the experiments that Anton has created." She glowed with excitement.

He warned her. "Remember he has no idea what pure adrenaline injected into his heart will do to him. It could kill him."

She shrugged and looked ambivalent. "They have instructions to go slow, keep track of his progress and use the drugs available to see how he responds."

He looked troubled. "Torturing him that way is brutal, he may not survive. This whole project will go under."

She gave him a smoldering look. "We'll keep our fingers crossed that Catherine can keep him alive."

~o~

Heather Chandler sat next to her father and clutched his arm. They were seated in the office of the Mayor and on their right sat J.T. and on their left were Tess, Joe and Evan. Directly in front of them were the Mayor, the Police Commissioner and two men in suits, black suits to be exact. J.T. would have thought it amusing if he wasn't so ready to crap his pants.

One of the men in black who had been standing in the background came forward. He was tall, well built and handsome. He gave Catherine's father, Thomas Chandler a second look, something about him seemed familiar.

"My name is Sean Pierce. I am a special liaison with this newly created Task Force whose goal is to bring Catherine Chandler and Vincent Keller home."

"We felt it important to let Mr. Chandler and Ms. Chandler know that we will do everything in our power to bring your daughter and sister back to you. We want to assure Lieutenant Bishop, Detective Vargas and Dr. Marks that this is a priority and the directive to investigate this case comes from the very top. We would like Mr. Forbes to know that we intend to find and help Vincent Keller."

"Everything from this point forward is classified." He looked at Joe. "All of your people will be briefed of the highly sensitive nature of this case. We'll keep you updated as best we can."

He looked at Catherine's father and sister, than at J.T. "We feel it's necessary to put you under protective custody. This is for your own safety and for the safety of Catherine and Vincent. If you refuse, we will have to detain you." He saw the alarmed look on their faces. "We have the authorization to do this and as far as we are concerned, your civil rights will not be violated if we do so."

J.T. raised his hand like a fourth grader. "Who are you guys?"

"What you need to know and to believe is that we're here to help." He looked at everyone in the room. "As difficult as this seems, you need to get on with your lives."

~o~

"What's new you ask? Tomb Raider is getting a reboot and Lara Croft looks hot." Birkhoff had taken sarcasm to a new level, both in his tone and by the graphic t-shirts he wore. "But what you really want to know is what Shadow-net has on it's radar."

Shadow-net was a super search engine on steroids that was programmed to recognize key words from a hard drive known as The Black Box. Birkhoff had named it in memory of his former self, Shadow Walker, an anarchist computer hacker who had liberated over one hundred million dollars from corporations who had grown wealthy on the misery of others. He was every computer hacker's idol, until the FBI and CIA arrested him, sent him to prison and gave him a choice. Work for a clandestine organization or rot in his cell.

"It's a slow week, one item came to light and that would be a ping on Operation Murifield. Remember that one Mikey?" Birkhoff opened a screen on the sixty inch monitor and a list of names accompanied by images appeared.

Michael knit his brow and stroked his chin. "I do remember this, it was a project Percy was working on post 9/11. Create the perfect Super Soldier using crossed species DNA, and genitically modify these men to be 185% more indestructable."

Always calm and collected and unlike Birkhoff, well groomed, Michael had an extraordinary memory. His background was in Naval Intelligence and when his wife and young daughter were killed in a car bombing, he dedicated his life to hunting down their killer. His life had been consumed with hatred, revenge and defending the work of this black ops organization, until Nikita changed that.

"How'd that work out for Percy?" Nikita asked. She walked into the room dressed in a leather jumpsuit and three inch heels. Her wardrobe had improved considerably, now that she was a key agent with the new Division. Nikita had earned the right to be known as a Ninja out of the pages of Vogue.

She said Percy's name with disdain. He had been the former leader of Division, a murderer and all around self absorbed psychopath. Percy quietly wanted to rule the world, by collecting and storing State secrets and sensitive information on what he called a Black Box. He became everyone's enemy and was the reason Nikita went rogue. She had made it her life to bring him down.

"Actually, not well. Percy had the DoD pull the funding and Murifield was left with a handful of soldiers who became uncontrollable killing machines. They irradicated them all. Their families were told they died in the line of duty in Afghanistan."

"All except one. Vincent Keller, he or his remains were never found, but by all official accounts he died in enemy combat." Birkhoff added.

"Another one of Percy's blunder's. So why did Shadow-net bring this to light?" Nikita asked with her hands on her hips. "It's been buried for ten years."

Michael never tired of looking at her and after all these years as her mentor, then her nemesis, and now her lover, she still aroused feelings in him, and Nikita knew it.

"I just got a call from the CIA and I have the answer to that question." Ryan Fletcher walked into the communication and security hub of the new Division. He was a former CIA Analyst who had risked his life to expose Percy and with Nikita's help had taken over the leadership of Division when the unsanctioned organization was disintegrating. "They've been keeping tabs on Murifield and two weeks ago they were completely wiped out. All their personnel dead, their records confiscated, their facility burnt to the ground."

"Good riddance." Nikita said under her breath. She crossed her arms and realized he wasn't through talking.

"They wanted to advise us that Vincent Keller, the one MIA member of that program had recently surfaced. It appears he was taken prisoner, along with a New York Police Detective Catherine Chandler." Birkhoff pressed a few keys and their images appeared on the monitor. Ryan gave his people a serious look of dread.

"This has Amanda and Ari's fingerprints all over it. The chatter is they intend to use Keller as a human guinea pig and see if they can't perfect a way to make super soldiers out of ex Gogol operatives."

Nikita's expression hardened. Amanda, the woman with the red hair, had been there when Division was at it's peak of killing both guilty and innocent people. Her companion and partner in terrorism, Ari Tasarov was the former leader of Gogol, a Russian mercenary group that was by all accounts and measure, another black ops organization, just like the old Division.

"Sean was asked to give the cursory explanation that the U.S. Government is doing everything they can." Ryan added. The ex Navy Seal had proved invaluable in many ways and his distance from Division gave him credibility.

Nikita looked at the images of Vincent Keller and Catherine Chandler. She was disgusted to hear this had started out under Percy's watch and now taken over by Amanda and Ari to develop and wreak more havoc and mayhem. "He's a victim, she's innocent. Are we going to let Amanda and Ari get away with this?" Nikita asked.

"I think Hellz No, pretty much sums it up." Birkhoff said under his breath.

The End... but to be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look for my sequel to this story, "A Victim and an Innocent" coming to a laptop near you. 
> 
> Thanks for reading - I love you guys!


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